BRONX TIMES REPORTER, N 32 OVEMBER 1-7, 2019 BTR
Highbridge school
celebrates opening
of green classroon
Highbridge Green School students celebrate the oeping of its dydroponic greenhouse classroom.
Photo courtesy of Highbridge Green School
Students, teachers, and local Highbridge
community members came together
with NY Sun Works and the
New York Power Authority at the
Highbridge Green School to celebrate
the opening of its hydroponic greenhouse
classroom.
Students began the festivities by
giving guests a guided tour of their
new greenhouse classroom, made possible
through an initiative supported
by school leadership, the Highbridge
community, the New York Power Authority
and NY Sun Works, a nonprofi t
organization which builds innovative
science labs in urban schools. The
greenhouse classroom is more than
an urban farm: students in grades six
through eight will explore Science,
Technology, Engineering and Math
(STEM) + sustainability topics while
growing food with cutting-edge technology.
Principal Kyle Brillante and assistant
principal Anna Waters shared
heartfelt words about the Highbridge
Green School and its seven-year journey
to get its greenhouse classroom up
and running. NYPA’s vice president of
Environmental Justice and Sustainability,
Lisa Payne Wansley, and Manuela
Zamora, executive director at NY
Sun Works, also expressed their gratitude
and pride.
“Green classrooms are a great way
to spark an interest, inspire confi -
dence in students, and help them learn
about the wonders of energy and sustainability
in fun and creative ways,”
said Wansley. “These youngsters are
our future leaders and we, at the New
York Power Authority along with our
partners, want to inspire them to act
responsibly in caring for our environment
as well as develop skills they can
turn into careers.”
While emphasizing the value of a
true partnership, Zamora added, “We
are honored to work with Principal
Brillante and his team at Highbridge
Green School in their vision to bring
21st century science and sustainability
education into the classroom. The
hydroponic lab will provide students
with the opportunity to grow food
while learning hands-on about science
and climate education as well as food
justice and community service. We
thank the New York Power Authority
for its partnership and for making the
Highbridge Green School dream possible.”
The initiative is part of NYPA’s Environmental
Justice STEM program,
which provides educational resources
to students from underrepresented
communities in close proximity to
NYPA’s power assets statewide as part
of Governor Andrew Cuomo’s STEM
learning initiative. The funding allowed
for a year-round collaboration
with NY Sun Works, which provides
weekly on-site mentoring and training
for teachers, specialized curriculum,
greenhouse grow supplies and community
engagement support.
The Highbridge Green School is a
community school that cares for each
of its students’ academic, emotional,
and physical well-being. For decades,
the neighborhood of Highbridge didn’t
have a middle school. The community’s
students had to leave the community,
often traveling an hour or more
on public transportation to get to the
closest school. After fi ghting for many
years, the Department of Education
agreed and allotted funds for a new
middle school, citing the growing population
and the importance of having
a school in the community.